Robocoin wants to educate Congress about the magic of cryptocurrency.

Next week, members of Congress will finally get a chance to do what Ars has already done: use a Bitcoin ATM.

In an invitation distributed to congressional offices on Tuesday, Robocoin stated:

You are cordially invited to a demonstration of Robocoin, the world's first Bitcoin kiosk for buying and selling the popular and controversial digital currency. Come watch a demo and try buying Bitcoin yourself! This will be fun, plus you’ll see how Robocoin is raising the bar on [Know-your-customer/Anti-money laundering] compliance in Bitcoin. Welcome to the future of anti-fraud, anti-identify theft and anti-money laundering—this is customer protection built for the 21st century.

The demonstration, which is scheduled for April 8 at the Rayburn House Office Building, comes at a time of increasing scrutiny on Capitol Hill.

For now, Bitcoin ATMs remain rare in the United States. On Wednesday, CNET reported that one of the earliest installed ATMs (from a rival firm) has already mysteriously vanished from a cigar shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Robocoin only has two installed machines in the US: one in Mountain View, California and another in Austin, Texas. (Its first was in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.)

Further Reading

At a train station in Boston, a Bitcoin ATM has attracted hundreds of users.

Just last month, the IRS issued six pages of guidelines (PDF) detailing how it considers the legality of Bitcoin and other “virtual currencies.” Specifically, the document designates that Bitcoin will be treated for tax purposes as a property and not as a currency.